Homemade Lemon Ice Cream Recipe

Scooped lemon ice cream in stemware with two lemon quarters and fresh mint leaves.

5 from 10 votes

Homemade Lemon Ice Cream Recipe

No ice cream maker? No problem! No churn ice cream is so easy to make and this creamy homemade No Churn Lemon Ice Cream recipe is the perfect summer dessert. Only 5 ingredients and 10 minutes of prep and you are on your way to this creamy treat!

Prep Time10

Freeze4

Total Time4 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Lorie Yarro

Ingredients

2 c heavy whipping cream very cold
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 ½ T lemon zest
1 T lemon juice freshly squeezed
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
2-3 T lemon curd optional

Instructions

In medium bowl, whisk together condensed milk lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and salt if desired.
In a separate medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks begin to form. This will take about 2-3 minutes.
Gently fold the whipped cream into the lemon and condensed milk mixture. Transfer to a freezer safe container(I like to use a bread pan). If desired, swirl in lemon curd using a toothpick over the top layer of the ice cream.
Cover and freeze for about 4-6 hours. Before serving, allow ice cream to sit out for about 5-10 minutes before spooning out, especially if it's been in the freezer for much longer than 6 hours. Enjoy!

Notes

Let the ice cream sit out before scooping. Allow this homemade creamy lemon ice cream to sit out for about 5-10 minutes before scooping when you are ready to serve.
Avoid using any lower fat or lower sugar ingredients. For the best and creamiest no churn ice cream, it is important to get the right ingredients. Make sure you have heavy whipping cream as well as full fat sweetened condensed milk.
For a stronger yellow color, you can add yellow food coloring. This lemon ice cream does not have a very strong yellow color. If you are interested in a more vibrant color, add a few drops of yellow food coloring when combining the condensed milk, lemon juice and zest.

The original recipe had basil in it as well. I shifted it to just lemon but wanted to include the option if you wanna spice things up a bit. Prior to starting the recipe, you will want to do the following:

- Over medium heat, combine basil leaves, zest of one lemon and cream in a small sauce pan. Stir several times and allow to heat for about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and cover. Chill in refrigerator until cold again and toss the basil. (About 2 hours) Then follow the recipe as stated above in step 1.

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